


Bark, chomp, praise

by Kyzy



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Parental - Freeform, all the sweet stuff, just a ninja training his boy to eat like a civil person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyzy/pseuds/Kyzy
Summary: “When you first came here, no-one wanted to feed you, so I did. You always ate all your own with your bare hands and then came after mine... you were just a boy and I could keep you at bay with an arm. It was like trying to keep a puppy from taking everything I had--”“P-Puppy?!” Kayn squawked, seeming quite embarrassed by the memory he had clearly forgotten… the idea of him scavenging from his master's plate like an animal flushed his face a deep red, and Zed knew that look-- the one with puffed cheeks. His student was going to argue about it.“I-I never! Master, you are lying, surely?”“Am I a liar, Kayn?”
Relationships: Shieda Kayn & Zed
Comments: 1
Kudos: 57





	Bark, chomp, praise

**Author's Note:**

> i got encouraged by people reading my other fic that i was like, hey, lemme write another one!  
> and here we are.  
> i headcanon that noxus kept their children as feral as they could to help with the whole 'youre supposed to murder' thing.  
> zed really is just a goofball.  
> :P  
> enjoy!  
> if you like, please comment and tell me! <3

It wasn’t often that Zed ate with Kayn anymore.

Usually the scythe wielder grabbed his food from the kitchen without much thought, dragged himself to his room and ate alone, not wishing to keep himself in the presence of the other acolytes. They stared, after all. They saw the way candlelight made the reds of his armored arm glow almost in the darkness, were unnerved by the one red eye and its cat-like pupil seemed a little too sharp for a _human_. Shieda didn’t mind outwardly, he was aware of how unlike them he was, but deep down it affronted him to the point where he wished to lash out at anyone continuously staring at his affliction as if he was some relic in a museum, meant to be gawked at by any who dared to.

But of course, Master wasn’t like that. Zed exercised caution when the weapon was in his hand, but never treated Kayn any differently than he had before. Kayn appreciated that beyond words and showed his affection and admiration for the strength and unyielding trust his elder had for him in small, sometimes random ways; that day, he would sweetly descend upon the kitchen with a purpose. While the cook appeared to have a sharp frown upon his face, a bi-product of being bossed around by a student, he still tirelessly fulfilled the order and set two bowls down in front of Kayn.

Shieda looked down, looked up, pointed to a bigger bowl and began to bark.

The chef gave another long, gentle sigh.

* * *

Zed’s room was one adorned in darkness, trophies from the hunt upon aging red shelves and two large glass doors that were often covered up to disallow any natural light in. Compared to the sheer size of the abode he himself occupied a very small part of it, often keeping himself to the corners by the fire or at a small desk covered in neat, ribbon-bound scrolls. The bed was but a feather filled mattress upon the floor that was never found ruffled or messy, its covers a feminine shade of red, flowers inked against white, and the kotatsu beside it bore the same colors. The rest of the space was rather barren, aged and dark, a single training bag against the furthest wall next to the covered twin doors that was scarred by shuriken and kunai being the only real reason the leader ever ventured that far. He was a simple man with no need for material wants, and only _sometimes_ found the space lonely.

_Knock knock knockknockknock!_

The white haired man _had_ been reading beside the fire, half lidded and trying his best not to doze off while in its warming presence when the door had rattled him awake-- Zed was on his feet before his brain caught up, poised upon his tiptoes like a frightened animal cornered.

“ _Master! Can I come in?_ ”

Ah... through the slight muffling of the words the man could recognize Shieda. It took mere moments for the ninja to unruffle himself, padding noiselessly over to the door with a single glance towards the scroll that had been in his hands but seconds before-- a sigh of relief, he had not subconsciously thrown it to the fire in a panic. He opened up the entrance to his room with yellow eyes _somewhat_ curious, but not obvious enough for his student to see anything but his usual flat gaze.

“Master, I brought you some food.” The muffling came from the fact that his student was holding two pairs of chopsticks in his _mouth_ , like a dog with a stick. Kayn’s tone was proud as if he himself had descended upon the kitchen with chef skills that far surpassed their own workers to make something for them, but Zed knew that couldn’t be true. Shieda barely knew how to not set everything on fire, let alone make any kind of meal as intricate as the ones they usually ate. It appeared to be beef ramen, glimmering with fat and heavy with steam, the red of the meat clashing against the greens of spring onions and the dull whites of mushrooms. One bowl was most definitely bigger than the other… those round eyes, the grin the student wore. The leader _couldn’t_ turn him away.

That, and Kayn had _already_ invited himself in and had shut the door with a foot.

With a hand reaching out he retrieved the smaller bowl instinctively (he knew it was his almost instantaneously) and flicked his head to invite Kayn to sit with him without a single word, only vaguely hungry but guilty of starving himself often in favor for sleep. His was the personality of one that took work far too seriously and was never quite as lax upon himself as he thought, sometimes easily surpassing days without resting for more than three hours at a time- and Kayn knew that. He saw it in the masters dark eye circles, the way he had to physically keep himself from yawning, the way he stared too much into nothingness. He himself was quite terrible at taking care of himself, but Zed’s well-being outweighed his own every single time he was reminded of it. Of course, without tact, he commented on it in a rather upbeat tone.

“You look tired.” Now that one bowl had been relieved from his arm he could hold the chopsticks, awkwardly trying not to stare at the fact his teeth had ground marks into the wood.

“... I am.”

If it were anyone but Shieda talking so freely about the state of his existence he would have whirled around wielding a far sharper tone, telling them to watch their tongue. Zed only sometimes scolded Kayn for speaking out of turn, but more often than not the elder found himself not really bothered by the young ninjas audacity to speak so freely… it felt… nice. As if he was still a person, as if he hadn’t been thrust so highly upon a pedestal by everyone and their grandmothers that it was impossible to talk to him normally. As if he wasn’t a shadow monster who dealt in blood and horror who needed to be whispered around due to fear of some outlash. It was never like that with the scythe wielder and it never had been, even when the boy was but a child scarpering about his feet.

It was probably why he was so soft on him, Zed pondered, legs folding neatly at the kotatsu with a dream-like look upon his face. Kayn was as noisy as ever in contrast, his legs working fast as he almost threw himself down to the side of his master with a brightness to his eyes that was rarely seen by any of the other acolites. For him, this was possibly the highest honor. Knocking upon the masters door and being invited in without a second thought… how it spawned warmth within his already tight chest that snuck through his veins like steam through pipes. He felt _wanted_ , the explosion of sweet emotions within him causing his cheeks warm to a soft pink… if his master noticed, he would never comment upon it, and that was for the best.

“Chef told me you hadn’t been down there today-- so _I_ took the initiative to make sure you do not rot away up here.” He was boasting about doing someone a favour… very typical. The way his hand smashes the pair of chopsticks down in front of Zed is sudden enough to almost make the ninja jump, daffodil hued eyes instantly resting upon the tooth marks resting deep against the wood. He wouldn’t question it.

“Hm… he shouldn’t have disclosed such things to you.”

For a few heartbeats, Kayn’s expression shifted into something tight, something slightly strange, perhaps upset-- his master continued with,

“... But I do not mind that he did.”

And all was right again.

Shieda gave an upbeat ‘hmm!’ with his happiness now returned, easily frightened off, desperate in its comeback. Out of the proverbial weeds and warmed not only by the fire but his masters presence in its entirety, Kayn snatched up his own chopsticks and began to descend upon the bowl with the tenacity of the wolf in winter. Ionian customs saw most (if not _all_ ) of the members of the shadow order eating with the same self restraint as Zed was; slowly. Politely. Quietly. The wall-walker had never quite grasped the idea that showing thankfulness for a meal meant _not_ attacking it on sight, and before long the space between them was filled with the sound of ravenous chewing and sporadic gulping, the snapping of chopsticks together and violent slurping.

It didn’t disturb Zed, the image of his student almost wearing the bowl as a mask with how deep he was into it. It was, once again, normality. The white haired male was softly and slowly chewing the noodles with his eyes upon Kayn, images playing in his head of a time where Shieda was but a boy plucked from warfare and delivered into the kitchen with little knowledge of food beyond bread or meat. At first he had eaten with his hands, plunging them into the broth to lick at fingers or to snap noodles from between them-- there was an aggression that sprung forth any time that someone tried to take the bowl away. After that behaviour was dampened, he then began advancing into seeing how much he could fit into his mouth without choking, which almost _always_ ended in choking. Like an abused animal he would ferret things away under his bed, leftovers of all kind serving as a snacking place when he feared that he wouldn't be fed… but Shieda was _always_ fed here. Slowly he learned not to hoard, not to snatch, not to _bite_ , not to choke. Zed himself had sat a ten year old Kayn down to show him how to use chopsticks… the leader recalled back then there were bite marks on them too, smaller, but just like the ones under his touch at that table.

… And he made a noise, so gentle, so breathy; the beginnings of a _laugh_ , and it was enough to snap his student out of his actions.

“... Master??” The long haired younger had suddenly barked out, eyes flying wide open as he hastily licked broth-drops from about his open mouth. Was he doing something stupid-- did he need to feel embarassed, did he need to flee the room? The assassin put the (basically) empty bowl down harshly and sat up straight as he tried not to shrink under the citrine gaze that was baring down upon him… but his feverish worry disappeared quickly upon noticing the corners of Zed’s mouth upturned into a small yet viable smile. What a rare sight…

“Hm.” Came the short reply as the leader continued eating as peacefully as he had been before, this time with an almost _pleasant_ expression… Kayn felt his heart skip-- there was something so vulnerable about the moment that he almost felt _blessed_.

“Why are you smiling?” He queried, head on a slight tilt.

“... I was just thinking about the past. You have changed so much... yet some things still remain the same.”

“... May I have an example?”

“You may.” Zed tried, rather fruitlessly, not to allow that rare and candid smile to morph into a smirk of some sort. This only further deepened his students concern. “When you first came here, no-one wanted to feed you, so I did. You always ate all your own with your bare hands and then came after mine... you were just a boy and I could keep you at bay with an arm. It was like trying to keep a puppy from taking everything I had--”

“P-Puppy?!” Kayn squawked, seeming quite embarrassed by the memory he had clearly forgotten… the idea of him scavenging from his master's plate like an animal flushed his face a deep red, and Zed knew that look-- the one with puffed cheeks. His student was going to argue about it.

“I-I never! Master, you are lying, surely?”

“Am I a liar, Kayn?” Zed’s fluffy hair fell about his eyes as he donned a thoughtful look-- and immediately his student was exclaiming obediently--

“No, master! But…”

Zed’s eyes were unblinking, wondering how far Shieda’s bravery would stretch.

“ _But_ … perhaps you _exaggerate_ the truth, hm? I only remember treating you with the utmost respect!”

The scythe wielder was being careful, afraid of insulting the leader; yet at the same time his personality would not allow him to exist peacefully with the memory that he was so _feral_! Now he was nothing but precision and _grace_ , executed to a standard that far exceeded those other idiots that called themselves shadow warriors! Kayn’s arms crossed his chest violently, and those half lidded eyes had become violent in color, unwilling to meet his masters stare. To Zed, this was just proving a point… he did not see an assassin sitting there, he saw the same kid that he had dragged out of the mud long ago. And just like then, he’d wait. Shieda always had to have the last word and only sometimes outwardly resolved things, often needing a moment to think about what had transpired before reacting appropriately.

The response was abrupt.

“ _All right_ , if you say I am a food thief--”

Kayn’s claw-tipped hand whipped out at lightning speed, trying to grab his master’s bowl from across the way… and as usual, Zed was faster. Holding it up above his head, the response came out less playful than he had intended it to be.

“Is this… insubordination?”

“I am responding to an _accusation!_ If I am to be a food thief, give me your food, master! I _will_ live up to your memories!”

“... Why would anyone reward a barking _puppy_?”

Shieda Kayn had an infamous temper and a knack for absolutely exploding on anyone who _dared_ to test him but a little bit past his small threshold; and that threshold had been very much shattered like a dam collapsing, flooding his body with burning emotion. Now sitting there with hands splayed against his knees, the younger of the two was sitting up straight and testing their eye contact with narrow pupils and fly-away hair that only somewhat covered his scarlet red face. Silence. Zed casually observed his pupil with not a single mark of agitation, anger stress, though was monitoring the interaction quite carefully… Kayn’s breath was almost rattling and the visible pulse at his throat was surging. There had been no intention to drive his pupil to the point of rage, for he had found the memory rather cute… but it had been read wrong, the master was sure of it.

It had been read as a mockery of the others past instead of a jab at how adorably consistent his favorite pupil had always been. That was a mistake on his part and a bad reading on the others, he had lost all sweet emotions long ago and had raised Kayn in a manner that left him yearning for more… and though he couldn’t really feel guilty about the affair he did feel that it needed to be rectified. By now, Shieda was looking at the ground, brows furrowed, lost deep within his inner thoughts.

A piece of beef poked the corner of his mouth, startling him to the point of almost leaping to his feet.

“Do not misread me, Kayn. It was a good memory; we had lots of fun together. You were always laughing… even when you were biting me. ‘Puppy’ is not a derogatory term, in this case. It is used when you want to call something endearing. I suppose you do not remember that.”

The frazzled youngster regarded the slice of beef that his master was holding out with chopsticks with some indignant interest, still looking haughty about the affair-- until that last part was spoken. Zed watched as the others demeanor suddenly became something wildly different, something he couldn’t quite pinpoint-- it was a look of excitement and delight, shining like the sun in his eyes despite his obvious attempts to hide it. Wearing a scowl,

“Feh… you make me sound feral.”

“....” Zed’s silence said everything without nothing sounding in the air-- and then suddenly there was a flash of motion that the leaders head didn’t quite register as he yanked his hand back-- where there had once been beef between the wood of his chopsticks there was now nothing. Kayn was chewing triumphantly with his nails being driven against the kotatsu’s wooden upside. The bite force had been so unexpectedly _strong_ that it was a wonder he had missed the chopsticks with his chomping, sparing them from splintering completely. The older ninja couldn’t stop himself from smiling in a fanged manner, eyes narrowing across the way as Shieda looked smug in return. After swallowing, he commented with the growl that came to his voice every time he was about to engage (a tell he wasn’t even aware of),

“I am _so_ feral, master, that I’m going to take your bowl right now.”

Kayn had _finally_ seen the bizarre humor of the situation and hopped up to his feet, taking on a predatory stance with his legs bowed and poised to jump. Zed immediately took up the defensive, bowl behind him, eyes glinting with usually suppressed humor as he took up the challenge.

“... And I bet I could keep you back with one hand.”

“I’ll bite that hand off.”

“You can try.”

* * *

The room was empty save for two souls sitting one in front of the other… a child and a man. The child was sniffling heavily, hands covered in liquid that he was feverishly licking clean with his skinny frame shaking violently. The man, whose hair was reminiscent of the snow outside, was waiting patiently for the boy to get back up again. Surely the assault was not over so soon…? They had told him this was a demon, one who relentlessly attacked without tiring, but before him was just a confused and emotionally compromised child who didn’t know how to use chopsticks and was venting his frustration by--

“No biting.” Zed ordered, gathering a flannel in his hands and wiping Shieda’s face aggressively. “You will not learn unless you try.”

“B-but I’m _hungry._ I’m so, so hungry.”

His newest pupil hadn’t been eating.

In response to the trouble he had been causing at the cafeteria, namely stealing the other students food and kitchen raiding, the chef had given Shieda a very clear solution; either he acted correctly or be starved. In most cases this worked, in _most_ cases the child grew too hungry to be rebellious and became docile simply out of tiredness, but not Kayn. He _starved_. His attempts at breaking into the kitchen had been faltered four times already, the other students were keeping far more clear of him and Zed had watched tirelessly as nothing seemed to dampen the child's rebelliousness. Whatever they had been doing to the young soldiers of Noxus overseas was showing in this ones resolve… and part of it tore his heart asunder. The master would not allow it any more.

Zed took up the chopsticks once again, moving slowly so that Kayn could understand the position with his hands, and tentatively reached into the bowl to pick out a single piece of meat.

“You will get it eventually… sometimes it simply takes time.”

Carefully, slowly, he’d lean forward to offer the piece to the ten year old whose eyes had never left it… the older man was never good at speaking to children, but he did his best to put pitch into his voice, a voice that was softening significantly.

“Ah--” The hand was retracted the moment the bristling child went to lunge forward. “No, don’t. Do you know what a dog is, Shieda?”

The child’s scruffy head shook ‘yes’, they used dogs in Noxus as part of the hourly patrols.

“Do _not_ move.” The hand was nearing again. “... And what noise does a dog make?”

“--Bark--” Kayn answered instantly, wanting to seem smart-- the moment he opened his mouth, so occupied by trying to be quick to the answer, he had forgotten that there was food near him. It was unceremoniously shoved into his mouth, those eyes of his flying wide open.

“....”

“...?”

Zed sweated a little as he watched the other swallow, trying not to think about how stupid he sounded, talking to a kid that acted quite younger than he was in a manner fit for babies. The ninja was simply copying what he thought mothers did with kids… in his own way.

“Be more like the dog… and less like the wolf.”

He picked up more food this time.

“The wolf bites, the wolf howls, the wolf scavenges. But the dog… the dog goes?”

“... Bark?”

And it happened again! It didn’t take as long to learn in that manner, for it had become a game; and having someone else control how he ate was never embarrassing, for in the Noxian camps they were thrown scraps they had to fight for simply to stay alive. It was a luxury to have someone spoon-feeding you. His appreciation for his masters time quickly grew, and soon the incentive for learning to use chopsticks was simply to make his elder happy. They were first used to stab, then to probe, then two were used and things kept falling, but it had gotten to the stage where Kayn and Zed eat together rather peacefully.

“Am I still a dog, master?” An eleven year old Kayn asked, sticking his tongue out as his face wrinkled comically. Zed gave it a few beats to think.

“... You are more of a puppy.”

“... A puppy?”

“A baby dog.”

“... _Baby?!_ I am NOT a baby, I have grown up teeth, I’ll bite you, I’ll show _you!!_ ”


End file.
